A BILL ENTITLED An Act further to amend the Constitution of Jamaica in order to provide for impeachment of Senators and members of the House of Representatives; and for connected matters. The Constitution (Amendment) (Impeachment) Act 2021
History of the Impeachment Bill • In 1993, the Constitutional Commission recommended that certain public officials be impeached for misconduct. • In 1995, a Joint Select Committee of Parliament endorsed the need for an impeachment process with respect to parliamentarians, and recommended that the Constitution of Jamaica be amended for this purpose. • In 2011, an Impeachment Bill was drafted, but it was never debated and did not go any further. • In 2016, PM Andrew Holness committed to tabling an Impeachment Bill within 100 days. However, he failed to take any action to make it happen. • In April 2021, amidst growing concerns about Parliament’s inability to act in the face of egregious conduct by a parliamentarian, the Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding has brought to Parliament an updated version of the 2011 Impeachment Bill.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
What is an Impeachable Offence An impeachable offence is misconduct in the form of: • Corruption or misappropriation of public funds or property • Persistent neglect of the duties/responsibilities of a MP or Senator, or refusal to exercise their duties/responsibilities • Abuse of official authority • Deliberately misleading Parliament, or intentionally abusing the privileges of Parliament • Egregious conduct or other misbehavior unbefitting the holder of the office of MP/Senator which makes him/her unfit to continue to hold that office or brings that office into disrepute
Who can request impeachment? Any of the following persons can request the impeachment of a MP or Senator for an alleged impeachable offence: • Three MPs or three Senators, acting pursuant to a petition that has been signed by at least 1,000 persons on the Voters List (signatures authenticated by a JP) • The Auditor-General • The DPP • The Chairman or any other member of the Integrity Commission, its Director of Investigations or its Director of Corruption Prosecutions • The Director of Elections • The Political Ombudsman • The Chairman of any Commission of Enquiry
Composition of the Impeachment Committee The Impeachment Committee has 7 members: • President of the Senate (Chairman) • Two MPs appointed by the Prime Minister • Two MPs appointed by the Leader of Opposition • One Senator appointed by the Prime Minister • One Senator appointed by the Leader of Opposition
Functions of the Impeachment Committee
• Considers complaints alleging that a MP/Senator has committed an impeachable offence • Holds hearings (open to the public) to determine if there is a prima facie case that an impeachable offence has been committed • Where a prima facie case has been established, the Impeachment Committee prepares the Articles of Impeachment to go to the Impeachment Tribunal for adjudication
Composition of the Impeachment Tribunal The Impeachment Tribunal has 5 members, who are appointed by the Governor General: • One member appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister • One member appointed on the advice of the Leader of Opposition • Three members appointed after GG has consulted with the above two members • Two of these three members must be qualified to hold (or have held) the office of a Judge of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal Members of either House of Parliament are not eligible to be appointed to the Impeachment Tribunal
Role of the Impeachment Tribunal & then Parliament The Impeachment Tribunal: • Receives the Articles of Impeachment • Conducts a hearing (open to the public) • Determines whether the MP/Senator has committed an impeachable offence • Recommends the appropriate penalty, if they determine that the MP/Senator has committed an impeachable offence
If found guilty, the penalties may be any one or more of the following: • Censure of the MP/Senator • Removal of the MP/Senator from the House of Representatives or the Senate, and/or removal from an office held by the MP/Senator • Disqualification of the MP/Senator from holding any other public office
The House of Representatives or the Senate may then (by majority vote) affirm, modify or dismiss the recommendations of the Impeachment Tribunal. A MP/Senator who has been impeached may still face prosecution for a criminal offence.